|
THE MEANING OF PSALMS 110:1 BY: OLIVER F. FAUSS |
|
Psalm 110: 1-5 reads: "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. They people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. The Lord at they right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath." The Psalmist David here prophesies of the coming of Christ the Messiah to Israel, and also to all the people who will accept Him. When Jesus was in the world, He quoted Psalm 110:1 (see Matthew 22:44), when being questioned by the scribes concerning the authority by which He taught. After He had put them to silence, no man dared ask Him any question at all (Mark 12:34; Luke 20:39,40). Jesus said to His questioners, "David therefore calleth him Lord, how is he then his son?" (Luke 20:44). In the Old Testament, David, as well as other prophets, foretold the Christ's coming to the world. In Psalm 110 David even referred to the order of His priesthood. He declared, "Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek." So He was of the order Melchizedek, rather than of the order of Aaron. This is brought out more fully in Hebrews 6:17 through 7:21. The apostles used another prophecy of David's in Hebrews 10:5,8,9, "Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me." Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first (covenant), that he may establish the second." (This was a quotation from Psalm 40:6-8). On the day of Pentecost the Apostle Peter also quoted Psalm 110:1 (see Acts 2:34,35), then added these words: "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly. that God hath made that same Jesus whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ" (verse 36). The statement, "The Lord said unto my Lord" does not mean that there is a first and a second person in the Godhead, and that they are carrying on a conversation. We read another statement of God to David: "The Lord hath sworn in truth unto David; he will not turn from it; Of the fruit of thy body will I set upon thy throne" (Psalm 132:11). As mentioned above, Paul quoted, "A body hast thou prepared me." All this refers to the prophecy of Isaiah: "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign, Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23). Again Isaiah said, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor. The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:6). This was fulfilled when "...the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). The Word was made flesh when Jesus was born in Bethlehem (Luke 2:8-17). |